


Aurora Borealis

by hotfruits



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Lance (Voltron) is a Good Friend, M/M, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Relationships, Post-Season/Series 07, Shiro (Voltron) Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Shiro (Voltron)-centric, or could be read as something more
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-24
Updated: 2018-10-24
Packaged: 2019-08-06 18:23:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16392791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hotfruits/pseuds/hotfruits
Summary: Lance helps Shiro let go of his problems for a night.





	Aurora Borealis

**Author's Note:**

> a prompt fill from cc that requested Shance + Northern Lights.
> 
> it's more platonic Shance but could also be seen as pre-romance Shance?
> 
> hope you like it~

Shiro had undergone a lot of stress the past few years.

He broke up with his boyfriend in order to follow his dreams (and maybe to avoid said boyfriend watching him slowly die), went into space, was captured, tortured, and forced to murder innocent aliens, crashed landed on earth, lead a team of teenagers through an intergalactic war, **Slav,** died, the astral plane, had his consciousness shoved into a cloned version of himself, the Paladins almost dying...

Yeah, he was definitely feeling stressed, to say the least.

Somehow, being back on Earth was worse, though. He didn’t mind being Captain of the Atlas, that part was amazing, but it was the quiet moments that got to him. The moments where he stared up at his ceiling at night, no battle strategies to plan or an immediate war to fight, the silence forcing him to deal with all the things he had been avoiding for awhile now…his imprisonment, death, Adam...

Shiro groans, swiping a tired hand across his face and climbs out of bed. There’s no way he’s getting any sleep tonight and he’d rather not sit here, quietly, in the dark, his thoughts and memories screaming in his skull. Maybe a walk around the base will ease his worries...

He throws on a shirt and a pair of sweats, before sliding into the black lion slippers Lance had made him. Normally, he does his best to present a professional front to his colleagues, but right now, he’s far too exhausted to care. He just needs to get out of this room and out of his head.

His door opens with a soft whoosh and then closes behind him. The hum from the overhead lights and air vents is a nice distraction as he begins his trek, uncaring of where he ends up. Maybe he’ll go down and check on the lions, or Atlas. There’s always the in-house gym, too. He could get in a quick workout, slippers and all.

“Shiro?”

Or he could run into Lance, who looks just as surprised as he feels. “Lance, what are you doing up?” he asks, his concern for the other a welcomed distraction. He can’t fix his own life, but he can always focus on one of his Paladins. “You’re still recovering, you should be resting.”

Lance gives him a small shrug, glancing down at his feet. It’s moments like there where Shiro is reminded of how young Lance really is, despite the cool bravado and the whole "helping to save the universe" thing. He’s still a kid at heart, despite the horrors he’s seen. “Hey,” he smiles gently, placing his human hand on Lance’s shoulder and giving it a squeeze. “Talk to me, what’s going on?”

Lance looks up and Shiro can see the ever present fear and worry in his eyes, coupled with puffy, purplish under eye bags. Shit, how long has Lance not been sleeping? How has he not noticed? “Ah, it’s nothing,” Lance deflects, putting on his cheesiest grin, “Just the worries of a universally famous heartthrob. I was actually about to take Blue for a spin, if you wanna tag along...looks like you can’t sleep either?”

Shiro chuckles softly, not at all surprised that Lance would notice he’s not doing too well either. He’s always been perceptive of other people’s feelings, seeing behind their fake smiles. “That...actually sounds really good. Where are we going?”

Lance winks, beckoning Shiro to follow him.

***

Shiro feels himself relaxing as Blue takes off, his eyes slipping close as she soars through the air. It’s kinda funny, the first time Shiro rode with Lance, it was chaotic as the young pilot struggled to get a handle on the intimidating beast. Now, though, he pilots her with ease, a true testament to the growth he’s made over the past year.

Of course, piloting isn’t the only growth Lance has made. During their first few weeks as Paladins, he often found himself annoyed by Lance’s behavior. His inability to censor himself, the way he always picked and prodded at Keith, the seemingly egotistical narcissism, but over time, he saw a shift in him.

Sure, Lance is and probably will always be a bit of a flirt, that’s just his nature, but it’s more subdued now. Less the flirting of an awkward teenager, desperate for attention, and more the style of a man, confident in himself and what he can bring to the table

Which has also improved his relationship with Keith. Sure, their tempers still get the best of them at times, but Shiro can see the respect they now hold for each other, especially in the battlefield. Keith, who can sometimes be too rash, relies on Lance’s careful insight to help him guide the team through whatever conflict they are facing.

And really, that’s all Lance has ever wanted, to be noticed and to be taken seriously. Shiro feels a pang of guilt for his earlier assumptions of Lance, not taking into consideration that, like him, he also hides behind a false smile and false bravado. Lance cares, deeply, about what others think of him. He knows that Lance still gets hurt sometimes, like when Pidge writes him off for not being “smart enough”, or when Keith says something cruel while under duress. He hopes that Lance knows how much they all love him and value him, that they’d be nothing without their sharpshooter and best friend.

“We’re here.”

Shiro blinks, his eyes adjusting to the darkness inside the cockpit. A moment later and his eyes widen as he stands up, brushing past a smiling Lance and looking outside.

“Is that…” he trails off, a smile slowly creeping onto his face as he stares out the window, taken back by the wondrous beauty he is witnessing.

“Takashi Shirogane, welcome to the North Pole!”

“It’s so beautiful,” he whispers, pressing his hand to the glass and feeling the cold already seeping in. “What’s the temperature?”

“Hmmm, definitely below freezing,” Lance moves to stand beside him, also looking at the swirling lights above. “I have some blankets if you wanna go outside, get a better look?”

Shiro’s response is immediate as he races towards the cockpit door, a giggling Lance rushing after him. “Hold your horses, let me get the blankets!” Lance shouts and Shiro pauses, impatiently shuffling from foot to foot as he waits for Lance. He can’t remember the last time he was this excited about something so...normal. He was definitely excited when Allura put his soul into the clone’s body and when he formed Atlas, but being excited over some pretty lights?

It feels surreal.

“Alright, let’s go!” Lance finally emerges with a few fuzzy blankets and hands one to Shiro. He takes it and wraps it around his shoulders, before hurrying after Lance, the two of them making their way to Blue’s mouth. As her jaws open, the cold air immediately rushes through and Shiro clutches the blanket a little tighter, wishing for a second he had on something besides pajamas and slippers. He’s still smiling through, taking a seat beside Lance along the edge of Blue’s jaw, his legs dangling over it.

“It’s so beautiful,” he murmurs, mostly to himself, but Lance responds with a pleased hum. “Why here?” he can’t help but ask, looking away from the beautiful lights and towards Lance, wondering why he’d choose a place like this. When he agreed to follow his friend, he assumed they’d end up in Cuba, California, maybe even Hawaii, anywhere with a beautiful beach and beautiful people. Somewhere warm and vibrant, like Lance…

“Ah, well,” Lance’s grin begins to slip, just a little, his shoulders slightly sagging. “When Veronica and I were little, we made a list of places we always wanted to see, ya'know, when we got older, and now that I have an interdimensional space Lion, well…” Lance sighs, “We decided to go visit them…”

Shiro watches Lance, who in turn keeps his gaze locked forwards, his brows drawn together.

“The Great Wall, the Pyramids, even our home, it’s all been destroyed. Not here, though. This place remains untouched,” his frown deepens, “So, I keep coming back. It makes me feel less shitty, I guess, to know that there’s at least one place on Earth that hasn’t been destroyed, that I…” he stops, but the silent _“that I couldn’t save”_ doesn’t go unheard.

Shiro wishes, not for the first time, that he could protect Lance from all of this, that he could somehow take away his fear, trauma, and guilt. He wants to offer Lance more than just empty ressurances, but knows that he can’t. He opens his mouth to say something, he isn’t sure what, but Lance beats him to the punch.

“Um, I’ve also been meaning to say,” Lance finally meets his gaze, looking at him uncertainty, “I’m sorry, about Adam. I took a few of his classes and he was really cool dude.”

Shiro's eyes widen just a bit, surprised by the sudden sentiment. “He was a cool dude,” he replies with chuckle, but it sounds strained, even to him. “I've been thinking about him a lot lately...about everything, really.”

“Everything?”

“Ya’know,” Shiro waves his hand, trying to appear unaffected when he feels like he's about to fall apart any second. “Getting abducted by the Galra, fighting for my life, dragging you guys into an intergalactic war, dying,” now that he’s started, it feels like he can’t stop, like a cup running over with water, “Being trapped in the astral plane, which was loads of fun, by the way, and now Adam…” his voice cracks, just a smidge. “And it’s not like I ever thought we’d get back together, like I know I burned that bridge, but I always hoped…” he sighs, feeling his shoulders droop, “We could be friends, at least. But he’s gone. It sucks.”

“It so totally sucks,” Lance agrees with a thin smile, placing a hand on Shiro’s shoulder. “Come here,” he says and pulls Shiro closer, so his head is resting in the crook of Lance’s shoulder. It’s a bit of an awkward angle, given their height difference, and Shiro can’t remember the last time someone held him like this...but he can’t deny it doesn’t feel good, as he finds himself melting into the spot. “We’ve been through a lot. Personally, I always feel a little better after a good crying sesh, so if you wanna, I’m here for you.”

He sniffles at that, feeling a few stray tears rush down his cheeks. He’s quick to wipe them away, a little embarrassed and uncomfortable. He can’t even remember the last time he cried...it wasn’t when he was being held prisoner by the Galra, too focused on surviving to show any weakness. He didn’t cry when the nightmares started, even though he feared for his sanity and for the safety of his team. He focused on training, strategizing, fighting every battle that came their way. He didn’t even cry when he found out Adam had died...just kept going, focusing on the mission, on saving the universe, ignoring the breaking point that was always a step behind him…

“Come on big guy,” Lance whispers, running a comforting hand through his hair, “Let it out,” he breathes in, then exhales, “Just let it out, Takashi.”

He breaks, sobbing into Lance’s neck as he clings to him, his numb fingers digging into Lance’s shirt. He cries and thinks about Adam and how he’ll never get to apologize for the hurtful things he said. He thinks about all the innocent and not so innocent lives he’s taken. He thinks about everything the universe has stolen from him; his arm, his youth, his sanity, his life. He thinks about everything that’s happened the last couple years and just cries, cries until he can’t physically cry anymore, his eyes heavy and swollen and his breathing shallow.

“Hey,” Lance says after a moment, giving the nape of his neck a squeeze. “Let’s get out of here, okay?”

Shiro makes a noise of agreement and with Lance’s help, slowly stands up, his body a little achy and stiff after sitting in the cold for so long. He takes one last look at the lights, the beautiful swirling greens, before following Lance back into the cockpit, Blue’s jaws closing behind them.

It doesn’t take long to reach the Garrison. Shiro’s body still feels heavy and he appreciates Lance guiding him back to his room, a gentle hand on the small of his back. They don’t speak, but the silence is nice. It doesn’t feel like it’s crushing him anymore.

“Here we are,” Lance says as they approach his door. Shiro enters in his passcode and the door swooshes open. He shuffles inside, his lion slippers quickly kicked off, and makes his way towards his bed, flopping unceremoniously onto it. He can hear Lance giggling next him and feels the other pull at the blankets, until he is neatly tucked in. “Get some rest, okay? I’ll email Dr. Holt and tell him you’ve got a cold or something, that way you can get some extra sleep.”

Shiro nods into his pillow, too cold and sleepy to protest, but when Lance begins to leave, he finds himself calling out. “Wait! Please...” he pouts, his cheeks flushing as he mumbles, “Don’t go…”

Lance gives him a puzzled look, and for a moment Shiro is worried he may have crossed a line, but then Lance is smiling and pulling his shirt over his head. “Of course,” he says as he slips out of his jeans and sneakers, before crawling into the bed. He wraps an around Shiro’s waist, bringing his chest closer to Shiro’s back. “This okay?”

He smiles, letting himself be coddled in Lance’s warm embrace for the second time that night. “Yeah,” he replies sleepily, resting a hand over the one Lance has splayed out across his stomach. “Thank you.”

“No problem, man,” Lance shifts a little bit closer, until the tip of his nose is gently pressing against the back of Shiro’s neck. “Sleep well, Takashi.”

Shiro breathes in, sinking further into the bed, into Lance’s arms, and find himself doing just that.

**Author's Note:**

> it's been so long since I've written anything, it's hard getting back into the swing of things.
> 
> constructive criticism is always appreciated (but headasses will not be okay)
> 
> also ty to Ren and Juli for reading this over for me!


End file.
